“[Awaking to awareness] gives you everything that is beautiful, everything that is fragrant. Your existence is all-pervading. All the four Vedas do not know how to praise you.” ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Q&A: Deep Resonance

Question: I have listened to your podcast with Charlie Hayes several times now and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your approach to the subject of nonduality.

Rodney: Thanks for the kind words. Because of my cheap telephone and the lack of Skype, the sound quality on my end of the interview is poor. But if a pointer or comment resonates with any listener, then the interview will have served its purpose. And I certainly enjoyed talking with Charlie!

Question: Well, that enjoyment definitely came through...I was especially moved by the following description of your final understanding, as I believe Balsekar calls it--"So here John [Wheeler] was saying that what I had been searching for was not only 'fully present,' but it was fully present at this very moment. So I thought to myself, 'What am I looking at but--apparently--not seeing?'...Again, 'What I am looking at, but--apparently--not seeing?"....And suddenly, there it was! Utter peace and spaciousness! Felt-awareness without end!'"

Rodney: Yes, that was it--the end of the "story," so to speak. Life continued, but as Existence itself, which includes the appearances of thoughts, a body/mind, a job description, etc. The ease with which this understanding can takes place can't adequately be put into words. Suddenly, you are seeing something that not only has always, always been directly in front of you, it has been you precisely. It is beyond time and all expression, and yet, it is the most basic and most evident of things.

Question: I also appreciate your blog very much and find a deep resonance with your expression. We share a common experience in our earlier searching - I too became fascinated with the Catholic Church and joined it - this was after exploring many disciplines and teachings, both eastern and western.

Rodney: Yes, all of those years, disciplines, practices, and teachings (East and West). I still have fond memories of certain aspects of the Catholic Church: The cool stone floors, the heartfelt a cappella sections of the service, and the sweet-smelling incense, with its high-ascending smoke. But no anger or regret broils over my decades of searching. There are a number of reasons for that. Perhaps the most obvious one is that there is no longer a self-image from which that kind of regret can arise. Would it have been great to come to this understanding sooner? Sure! But it isn't something that I ponder. It happened as it happened. And my main purpose here is simply to point out to seekers and readers that this seeing and understanding needn't take any time at all, much less years or decades. You are already that which you are seeking. Allow these words to nudge you into seeing that which is already perfectly present.

Question: Yes, already perfectly present! It's a notion that I completely by passed for the longest time.

Rodney: Same here, of course.

Question: Also, I have so appreciated the work of John Wheeler and have had the good fortune of attending a couple of his meetings in Santa Cruz. Though I feel that my search is over, I enjoy reading and listening to John and Sailor Bob, and I know I will be visiting your blog often.

Rodney: John and Sailor Bob are true marvels. And yes, you do indeed have the good fortune to be able to attend John's talks in Santa Cruz. Questions can be immediately and spontaneously asked and answered. And when presence becomes your living reality, there will certainly be no more questions. Your seeking will be over. As for my blog, feel free to stop by any time.

Question: So a big Thank You for being the bright light and brilliant communicator that you are.

2 comments:

As always, your words inspire. How many times do we need to hear the words "I am that which I am searching for" before it sinks down into the body? When does the resonance shake us into awakening? (rhetorical questions!) Thanks for the inspirational post.

Hi there Meg,Make no mistake, Rodney is "The Real Deal". Meg, it tales no "time" at all to BE. You are being here and now, right? Before you can have any thought or feel any feeling, you first must actually BE. That ... Be-ING, is before language and cannot be captured by language because it's wordless, worldless, space-like, timeless. unconditioned, and just plain Ordinary! The world-appearing and YOU are That ... just plain BEING-Compassion-Love.There is no special "state" to "attain", no "feeling of That" to sink into the body. The body is an inert lump of clay without the Aliveness that is always already "ON" ... IT breathes you, thinks you, feels as you, loves all that appears to itself AS Itself... Nowhere to go, nothing to gain ... just BE. Very simple! Just BE. Hey, you cannot NOT be! So isn't it obvious that yes, your already are what is sought? The answer is NO answer. In words, "Just This" ... as it is and as it is not.Much Love to you, my friend!~ charlie